Rush Hour
by Poisoned Scarlet
Summary: AU, NejiTen. It was during one of those days; when the crowd was at it's fullest, that he strolled into the shop and inadvertently humiliated her.


_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto._

_**Rush Hour  
**.Poisoned Scarlet._

**Anime: **_Naruto.  
_**Pairing: **_Neji and Tenten.  
_**Genre: **_Romance/General.  
_**Type: **_Alternate Universe.  
_**Warning: **_Mild sexuality and Language._

* * *

She adjusted herself behind the counter of the small, corner cafe. With her apron on and a black marker in her hand, she began to take orders. Scribbling on the name of the customer on the cup and taking the right amount of money.

Usually, the small shop was full with paying customers', all chattering quietly with their coffees or smoothies in their hands. But today was a rather leisure day. Business went slow and smooth—she hardly had to pick up a cup.

Her eye's flicked to the clock hanging on the soft brown wall. It was only four in the afternoon; just a few minute's before five. Her fingers tapped on the glass cover-top of the nicely crafted oak counter. Though she told herself to calm and repeated that he would pass... she felt a fluttering knot settle in her stomach at the thought of him.

She fiddled with the marker in her hand, removing the cap and snapping it back on. That only entertained her for a while, before she began to play with the gold band ring on her fore-finger. She slipped it on and off, chewing on her lip like a nervous child; swaying from side to side in accordance to the beat of the soft music playing.

"Hey, Tenten!" Her head whipped to her co-worker, Sakura Haruno, who was toying with the hem of her hot pink apron. She was a pretty girl of eighteen. With long, silky rosette colored hair tied into a simple, yet messy, bun behind her head and large, green apple eyes. Her complexion was clean and the smile on her face made her even more gorgeous.

Currently, she held a rather anxious expression on her usually chipped face. "I-I need you... Can you please do me a favor?"

Tenten smiled friendlily. "Well... I guess so." She paused, rethinking her response. "That is... it is something doable?"

Sakura nodded feverishly. "Of course it is, Tenten! I would never make you do something you're not capable of doing! It's just... Sasuke-kun said he has to pick me up at five and well... I know that this is going to sound a bit selfish but can you please take my shift?"

Tenten bit her lip and checked the clock. There were only about three minutes left before five. And with her knowledge of Sasuke Uchiha's personality, he would be there at exactly five. Making up her mind with a sigh, she said, "Sure—I mean, when—"

Sakura squealed and jumped on Tenten, knocking her back several steps as Sakura wrapped her in a bear hug. She let go after a few seconds and laughed out a: "Aww, look. You got pink!"

Tenten promptly sent her a glare, efficiently diminishing her laughter into small, girly giggles.

"Alright, alright... when does your shift end anyways?" Tenten grumbled, willing the pink sheen that covered her cheeks away.

Sakura checked the clock. "Umm... At eight." A pained looked overcame Sakura's previously cheerful mask. "I'm sorry, I know that you're tired... with University classes and all..."

Tenten waved her hand dismissively, "It's alright, I can handle it. It's just for today, right?" Upon seeing Sakura's guilty look, she added more sternly. "Right?"

"Umm.. well, it's just..." Giving up, Sakura managed a wary smile. "R-Right."

"Good." The pendulum clicked and not ten seconds passed before a tall, lean man entered the shop. Sakura's eye's grew wide and she offered the man a dazzling smile, throwing her apron to the chair hastily and wrapping her arms around his neck. Sasuke's expressionless mask cracked the slightest as a small smile crept on.

"Sakura..."

She pressed her lips onto his and Tenten looked away politely, busying herself with the marker pen in her hand.

"Sasuke-kun, you came! Oh, wait for me outside, kay?" She heard Sakura laugh. "I need to go get my stuff..." Tenten looked back up, watching Sakura disappear into the back room. She moved her eyes to Sasuke, who sent her a rather condescending look.

"What?" She mumbled awkwardly. Sasuke simply turned away from her, stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets and boring holes into the darkly tinted window's of the cafe.

Sakura bounded back into the room seconds later, a cute pink bag hanging on her arm. She wove her hand into Sasuke's arm, gave him a bright smile and waved good-bye to Tenten, who waved back a tad too late.

After the door closed, Tenten was left alone in the shop. The customer's occupying the close booths had left the instant Sasuke strode into the room, probably intimidated at his powerful aura. The leftover people were too far into the shop to notice his entry, and as she swept her eyes around the shop, she noticed even they had left.

_'Three more hours in this hell, great.'_ Begrudgingly cursing her good-nature for taking the favor, Tenten walked back behind the counter and lazily slumped forward. Her thoughts drifted to her university courses. She'd angrily walked out of one of the classes a few hours before because of the extremely boring lecture. Of course, no trouble on her account. She was twenty and free to do what she wanted. The class was a drag and not really important enough for her to care about it, anyways. Most of her classes were like that. But she just couldn't stand that one. Her professor always tended to look down upon her. Out of racism, social status or gender, she didn't know—but she did know that the professor held some sort of grudge against her.

_'Bitch', _She thought slothfully, closing her eye's as the setting sun's beams hit her face. Then her thought's drifted elsewhere... to certain thoughts that she had been consciously avoiding for days. A dreamy smile appeared on her face as she thought of him. His luscious, silky brown hair and beautiful, silver colored eyes.... his muscled, sexy body and the haughty smirk that always seemed to adorn his pale complexion...

Deep inside her thoughts, she didn't notice the door swish open.

_'I really hope he's alright...' _She thought, dazed. '_It would... hurt me if he's sick or worse.' _A worried line began to form on her forehead. '_What if he's....? Oh-kay, Tenten. No negative thoughts... no negative thoughts...' no negative thoughts... _Puffing her cheeks, she scowled at the bad thoughts that plagued her mind. '_And I just said no negative thoughts!'_

A small huff of laughter broke her thoughts. She looked up to see the very man she had fantasizing about, wearing a rather amused smirk and his left brow lifted up to give him the illusion of superiority.

She resisted the urge to break a smile on her previously gloomy face. She quickly straightened, rather clumsily grabbing the black marker. "U-Um... Hello. What'll you have?"

She cursed herself nastily. '_What'll you have?_' She didn't want to come off as a sleazy woman. But it was probably too late, judging by the aloof expression he held.

As she inwardly berated herself, the man looked up at the menu that stood firmly overhead. After skimming several selections, he made up his choice. "I'll just have a medium coffee, black."

Tenten blinked. "Th-That's it?"

He cocked his brow again, making a small ting of pink arise on Tenten's lightly tanned face. "Yes. Is there anything else I should order...?"

Tenten flushed and shook her head. "N-NO!" Again, cursing herself for acting like a love-struck school girl, she decided to saver herself from further humiliation and just give him the coffee. "Um... Your name?"

"Hyuuga Neji."

She mulled over his name as she wrote it on the cup and started her way where the coffee machine stood.

She grabbed the hot, glass kettle and slowly poured the coffee into the medium cup, sealing it with a cover and going to the Pick-Up window to give him his order.

He took it and waited as Tenten walked back to the first window, still blushing at her stupid question. She glanced at him gloomily, "Yes?"

His aloof mask was no more, and it's place stood a placate mask instead. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

She drew in a shapely brow. "Um... I don't think so. Why?"

He walked back to her, watching her stiffen as he set his coffee on the counter and pointed to the cash register. "You forgot to ask me how much I owe."

Realization seeped into her and she groaned and slapped her hands into her face in pure embarrassment. If he didn't know before that every time he looked at her she melted into goo, now he sure knew.

"Oh, God. I forgot." She squeaked, voice muffled by her hands. "I can't believe I forgot to charge you! Ooh... I hope this hasn't happened before..."

"Hmm..."

Tenten peeked through her fingers, watching his expression fall into what looked like thoughtfulness.

"Wh-What?"

"Nothing," He answered swiftly. "It's just amusing to watch your humiliate yourself."

She froze. '_He... Is he making fun of me? He is, isn't he?!' _Fury substituted the embarrassment and she sent a frigid glare at him. "Excuse me, but it's not my fault I had to work overtime to cover for a friend!" Her glare had no affect on him; he just smiled crookedly, sending butterfly's straight to her tummy.

"Ah, you should be thanking me, really." He sipped his coffee, grunting at the bitterness the hot liquid offered.

"Thanking you!?" She spat, miffed. "I suppose I should be, but any other normal person would've taken this chance to bolt out the door with a free drink!"

"I guess I'm not 'normal' like other people." He answered simply, overlooking her furious gaze.

"Not with those eye's you aren't..." He heard her mutter. A smirk arose, his fingers grabbing the black marker pen she had set by him. "Oh, now you're going to insult my eyes?"

Tenten crossed her arms, leaning back coolly as she analyzed him fully, taking advantage of the moment to stare at his aristocratic features. "Yes. Of course you're not normal—no person would have pretty pearl colored irises."

"At least you admit they're pretty."

Tenten bit back a yell of objection, recalling what her response. She did say they were pretty... "Well... the point is!" She coughed, taking the money he lay on the counter and shifting it into the cash register, ripping out the receipt and handing hims his change, "You're not normal."

He took the change and looked over his shoulder. "Neither are you.. and now I must depart."

Tenten snorted, setting her hands on her hips and looking away to hide a small smile. "Depart? Who speaks that way these days..."

Neji sent her a friendly smirk, catching the upward curl of her plump pink lips. "I do. And now I must leave, my classes start soon. It was nice speaking to you... Ms. Tenten."

Startled, Tenten asked suspiciously, though content: "... How do you know my name?"

Neji chuckled in response, pointing a finger at her chest. "The wonder's of name tags."

Tenten tensed, uttering a string of incoherent rambling before slamming her hands on the counter, her face burning red, and spiting, "Ugh! Insufferable twat!"

"I know, I'll miss you too." Upon seeing her mouth go slack with surprise, he flashed his eyes to the counter and walked out the door, a satisfied smirk on his face.

Even if she was purely astonished, that didn't stop the shaky grin and choked laughter from escaping her. She dropped her head into her arms and laughed giddily, barely comprehending the fact that they had just inadvertently flirted with each other.

And the fact that right on the coffee cup he had left on the counter, scribbled in fancy writing with black marker, was a printed number right below the place she had written his name.

* * *

_**A/N: I admit, this isn't my best work in a while. I simply wrote it because I feel in-debt with all of you. After all, I have been updating rather late, huh? Sorry, but my finals are finally here and I have to study... lest I fail and repeat the 9th grade again.**_

_**R&R! **_

_**Panda.**_


End file.
